Panem et Circenses
by SpockSnapeStephen
Summary: When Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise crash land on a planet just like Earth, they go in search of civilization. They find Panem, home of the Hunger Games. All's well and good until they become the entertainment.
1. Laugh or Cry

"We're approaching a Class M planet, Captain."

Captain Kirk swiveled his chair to face his first officer, Mr. Spock, expecting more information.

"There are many life forms on that planet. Air is breathable, water is drinkable. In all respects, Captain, this planet is much like Earth."  
>"Put it on view screen," the captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise ordered.<p>

Lieutenant Uhura's capable hands swiftly pressed the buttons necessary to bring the planet on screen. Captain Kirk leaned forward suddenly.

"No… it can't be."

"My God, Jim. It's North America!" exclaimed the chief medical officer.

"Pinch me."  
>"You are not hallucinating Captain. That is the likeness of North America," Mr. Spock affirmed.<p>

"Captain." Mr. Sulu's voice sounded loud and clear, drawing the Bridge's attention to him.

"The helm isn't responding!" Though this was a semi-regular occurrence, Sulu always got nervous when he couldn't do his job.

Kirk leaned backwards toward Scotty.

"On it Captain."  
>Just as Scotty, chief engineer of the U.S.S. Enterprise and avid drinker of scotch, passed through the doors to the turbo lift, the Enterprise bucked.<p>

The red alert sirens blared.

"Shields down Captain."  
>"Down? Already?" It was taken for granted that their shields would get low on energy andor fail, but never this early.

"Yes, sir. All shields. Nothing's responding. It's like something sucked all the energy," Sulu conjectured.

Another series of hits from behind and the Enterprise shot forward, hurtling toward the oncoming planet.

"It's a miracle we didn't break up Captain! Aye, the Enterprise'll always pull us through," Scotty said admiringly as he patted the outside hull.

Kirk smiled half-heartedly and turned to one of his closest friends.

"How's the crew Bones?"  
>"Sickbay's not as bad as I thought Jim but we lost seven and four more are in critical condition. That was some serious turbulence. I think we'll be okay though."<br>"Spock, how long will it be before we can get up in the air again?" inquired Kirk.

"Unknown. Though we made the best landing possible, much of the inner workings of the Enterprise have been totally or partially damaged. If we cannot find the necessary materials, the Enterprise may never achieve lift off."  
>"Cheery." Kirk glanced around.<p>

"Alright then. Spock, find Lieutenant Uhura, Ensign Chekov, and a security team. We're going to go in search of those life forms you mentioned earlier." Spock left to follow his captain's orders.

"Jim, I should-"

"Come with us? Your patients need you." Kirk put his hand on Dr. McCoy's back, leaving him to handle the many scrapes and cuts.

The small group walked steadily on.

"We have landed in what would be the panhandle of Florida if we were on Earth." Spock had out his tricorder and it was whirring, gathering information.

"Where are we going Captain?" Uhura asked in her soft voice. She would willingly follow Captain Kirk anywhere but Uhura preferred having an idea of where she was going.

"Spock noted that this area was divided into fourteen colonies of sorts. The nearest one is east of here."  
>"We should get there in forty-three minutes if we maintain the four mile per hour speed we've been walking at," Spock broke in.<p>

Doctor McCoy cursed those failing shields. Never trust technology, especially that transporter. No need to break someone down to their very atoms, scatter them, and then reassemble the person miles away. Leonard McCoy waved his scanner over a patient's arm.

"It's just broken." Leave it to Jim to leave without a medic. He wouldn't even take Christine, insisting she was needed here. Dr. McCoy's communicator beeped. Speak of the devil.

"How's it going Bones?"  
>"It turns out my first projection was more accurate. Some of these people have injuries that wouldn't normally be problems but with all the medical equipment broken in the crash…" Bones let it trail off.<p>

"We're doing our best. We haven't reached a colony yet but Spock says we'll get there, ah, what did you say Spock?"  
>"Twelve minutes and thirteen seconds. Would you like more precise measurements Captain?"<br>"No… thank you Spock. Did you catch that Bones?" Kirk asked, amused.

"Yes. Jim, be careful out there."

"Always am Bones."

Sometimes Dr. McCoy thought the captain was a little too light-hearted but with the Enterprise in a bad condition, her crew in worse, and no help on the way, one could only laugh. Or begin to cry.

***  
>"Captain!" Lieutenant Uhura cried. The smell that entered her nostrils was exactly like that from the Atlantic Ocean she smelled as a child in the United States of Africa.<p>

The captain turned to Uhura quizzically.

"Can't you smell it?" Their party stopped as each member tried to distinguish what Uhura smelled.

"It's the sea!" exclaimed one of the newer security personnel.

"No need to shout Ensign," Spock remarked dryly. Uhura barely suppressed a glare towards the Vulcan. Surely there were better ways of going about it.

"The nearest civilization was on the sea, Keptin. I remember that because I was immediately reminded of my homeland's-"

"That's… quite enough Chekov. Thank you." The "Keptin" held up a hand and Chekov instantly fell quiet. Uhura approved; there were better ways.

"Ensign Chekov is correct, however. We should head towards the sea," commented Spock as he checked his tricorder once more.

They continued on.


	2. President Flint

**Hello. This is SpockSnapeStephen, the author of Panem et Circenses. First I'd like to start off with a shout out to anyone who clicked the button on to the second chapter. Thanks for staying with me. This is my first fanfic and I'm working on the voices of each character so if they don't sound right, rest assured, I will be watching a lot of Star Trek this upcoming week.**

**I'd like to thank SneverusSnapers for inspiring me to do my own Hunger Games-themed fanfic with the stories Gnawing Hunger and Shattered Hearts. I suggest you go check them out.**

**Next, I would like to say that all of these ideas are my own. I will give credit where credit is due but if you know of or have written a story like this, I assure you I haven't plagiarized. That being said, if you feel that we need to talk, go ahead and PM me or review. I will be happy to listen and work things out.**

**I will be doing my very best to provide you with an interesting, grammatically-correct, fun story with correct spelling and an update each week. Also, I will do my best to be in line with established canon. If you notice something, please feel free to mention it.**

**Finally, please review. If you don't, I don't know you're out there. This being my first story, I'd like to have some readers so spread the word.**

**In the words of Stephen King, dear (hopefully) Constant Reader, read on.**

Uhura and two of the three security men entered a sun-lit area. The sea sparkled and the wind coming off it smelled salty, a crisp taste. If one opened one's mouth, the salt nearly landed on the tongue in solid form. Uhura stood still taking it all in. The dazzling sand sifted underneath as they made their way over to the docks. An old man's shocked gaze and a small girl's wondering one met the scouting party.

"Hello," Uhura began, "I am Lieutenant Uhura of the star ship Enterprise. We are in need of help."  
>The man stood up.<p>

"I cannot help you but I can take you to someone who might," he said. The old man's eyes were as green as the beginnings of the sea behind him and the girl's were like sea foam, barely green and very pale.

"Thank you," Uhura said and her boots clicked as she made her way off the dock. She flipped her communicator's lid and spoke.

"Captain, Lieutenant Uhura. We've made contact with some people who may be able to help us."  
>"Hold your position Lieutenant. We'll be right there."<p>

"Hello. I am Captain James T. Kirk of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Is it true you can help us?" Kirk put out his hand but the man ignored it.

"It depends on your definition of help. We can take you to someone who will take you to the president. Follow me."  
>"My name is Joseph Cresta. This is my granddaughter, Elizabeth. Annie Cresta was my sister," he said as if that made things clearer.<p>

"I'm sorry. We are new here. We don't know your sister," explained Kirk. The man looked at them funnily.

"You're not from the Capitol? No… you don't have the accent. I should have known," he murmured.

The outskirts of a town appeared in Kirk's sights.

"I can take you no further. After the Nova Rebellion, Elizabeth and I disappeared. We would appreciate it if you didn't mention us."  
>"Of course," promised Kirk and the two slipped away into a grove of southern magnolia trees.<p>

The captain reached for the fence, intending to climb over.

"Do not touch that. It is electrified," Spock informed the party.

"Gee Spock, don't you think you were cutting that a little close?" said Kirk as he snatched his hand away. Spock merely raised an eyebrow. He had told the captain as soon as he received the data from the tricorder. No harm was done; there was no need to become emotional.

"So how're we going to get over it if we can't touch it?" asked a security member.

"We could go around it," suggested another in a heavy Indian accent.

"No can do captain. The fence runs along the coast for about a hundred miles then connects back together. We can't get through," Uhura pointed out. Her short brown was swaying gently in a way that the young security ensign obviously found attractive.

"Ensign, I suggest you blast a hole in the fence with your phaser," Spock interrupted his ogling. The ensign muttered angrily and shot green-blue phaser fire at the fence. Spock did not mind the young man's insults. He was used to such a thing from others and it would be detrimental to get distracted from the task ahead.

Captain Kirk sat in the mayor of District Four's office with Spock at his side.

"If you will not tell me where you are from, truthfully, there is just one thing left for me to do: I must take you and your party to the Capitol." The mayor was frustrated and it showed plain and clear to Spock. The lack of control was horrifying, if Vulcans allowed themselves to be horrified.

"If you must."  
>The train ride was long and dull for the humans but Spock simply looked out the window. Any information that could be gathered was a possible advantage. The sand gradually changed to wetlands to chaparral to a different kind of sand, desert sand. The gleaming steel train stayed cool though Spock sensed the outside temperature rising. The desert wind whipped red sand across the window. Even so, Spock could see identical, evenly-spaced grey buildings that dotted the landscape. Each had a staff with two snakes winding around it on the side. Spock hypothesized what it could mean. It was obviously some kind of symbol for that area. On some of the boats back in the first state, a different symbol of a trireme was stamped. If the first state was a fishing district with a boat on its symbol and the second state was an "x" district with a caduceus on it, this state was likely to be some sort of medical or pharmaceutical producer.<p>

All too soon, the speeding train came upon a shining city made of metal and marble with precious stones inlayed in it. Humans, or at least Spock thought they were, turned to look at the train as it passed. Nearly all of them nudged their nearest neighbor and whispered excitedly. Several of their body parts were modified but the train moved too quickly for Spock to get a good look at any of them.

A large building made mostly out of glass rose up in front of the train in a spiral shape. _Like a shell_, Spock noted. It sparkled in the rainbow light, a giant prism hanging in the square separating light into arcs of color. Not that Spock noticed its beauty.

His communicator beeped.

"Spock, where are you?" It was Dr. McCoy.

"We are on a train going to the center of the nation. We are all unharmed," Spock replied calmly in contrast to the doctor's fiery words.

"Get me Jim."

"I'm here Bones."  
>"What is going on? You left to do some scouting and now Spock tells me you're on your way to the Capitol! We've set up tents and formed a sort of camp but people want reassurance, and their captain."<br>Spock glanced at the captain. His normally light face was heavy. It was difficult for humans to be strong leaders in situations like this. On more than one occasion, Spock remembered, he had considered taking control himself. Spock quickly dismissed those thoughts. There were more logical ways to proceed as a Starfleet captain but Jim was the captain of the Enterprise.

"I don't know what's going on Bones. I'll contact you when I've got an idea of our predicament. Just tell the crew that we've gone for help. Hopefully we'll get some. Kirk out." He turned to Spock, preparing to say something before he shook his head and turned away.

Kirk sighed. "What's your assessment Spock?" Spock considered his words carefully.

"The ship is in poor condition; however, its hull and other main parts have not been damaged. If they were, we could not lift off safely. The crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise is mostly unharmed. Several personnel do need medical attention. The crew has formed a camp and we are on our way to secure assistance. For now, we are in the best condition possible. Looking ahead, our survival depends on the compliance of President Flint," Spock summarized.

"That you Spock." Captain Kirk sounded a bit out of sorts.

"Is there anything else you need assistance with?" inquired Spock. Kirk looked at him.

"Do you ever get the feeling that something bad is going to happen? Someone is going to die for example? Or you're walking right into a trap?"

"A non-specific fear? No Captain, never."  
>"Thank you Spock."<p>

It was just night when the group of seven was marched up to the cloudy pink mansion with rubies and garnets creating complex swirls on the sides. In white moonstone, the image of a rose was carved above the two sets of double doors. Ensign Pavel Chekov realized that the shapes made by gemstones were also roses. Inscribed just below the white moonstone rose, words in hard, glinting onyx said 'PANEM ET CIRCENSES.'

"Bread and circuses," murmured Captain Kirk. Chekov looked at the mansion dismissively; the Peterhof Palace in Saint Petersburg was much more impressive. The guards poked Chekov forward.

"No need to shove," muttered Ensign Pavel in a thick accent the guard couldn't make out.

"You and you." A guard pointed to Chekov and Kirk.

"You will be granted an audience with President Flint. No weapons."  
>Me? Chekov mouthed. Kirk glanced at Chekov, Spock, and then jerked his head, motioning for the ensign.<p>

Chekov was highly unsure of this. _Mr. Spock should be going along_, he thought, _Not me!_ But Chekov did what his captain bade him to do and handed over his phaser.

They were led to a plain-looking wooden door that had a rose carved where a peephole should be.

The guard in charge rapped once.

"Come in." The voice was distinctly female.

"Welcome to Panem." President Flint was tall and straight. Her hair was a coppery color with shades ranging from red-copper to brown-copper to blond-copper but what was most striking were her eyes. One was a dark, deep plum color, so dark it nearly looked black. The other was. A dead black. Not even evil or shiny like the inscribed words outside.

Dead.

President Flint noticed Chekov staring and smiled.

"I'm wery, wery sorry. I didn't mean-"

"That's alright," she said gently. Her words were all staccato like they were hot on her tongue except for the soothing "s"s, which were a lot longer than they needed to be.

"I was in an unfortunate accident awhile back. But that's not important. I have brought you a long ways away. Who are you? What are you doing here?" In addition to having a strange accent, President Flint's voice was soothing.

"We are from a different planet. Out ship, much like one of your trains, takes us from place to place. Except it crashed due to an unknown cause. We come seeking help and shelter. We have four hundred thirty crewmembers that need somewhere to sleep and we have some that need medical attention that our doctor can no longer provide. My chief engineer may need some… supplies of yours to get the ship running again." Captain Kirk always spoke as if he were skiing down the Caucasus Mountains. He would pause and then the words would come down rapidly. No one had a hard time understanding him!

"Panem would be happy to help. I will order for trains to bring your people to the Capitol. You and your crew are welcome here. Our districts will supply anything you need: food, metals, power, engineers, anything. You need it, you ask for it. For now, your party will stay in my mansion. The East Wing will be yours. I will have Avoxes bring you fresh clothing. Is there anything else you need Captain?" inquired President Flint.

There was something about the president that Chekov didn't like. Call him prejudiced but the thing that made Chekov uneasy was her eye. It seemed dead but it moved just like any normal eye. A tingle went down Chekov's spine and he was grateful when Captain Kirk broke the silence.

"No. Thank you."  
>"Panem extends its warmest greetings. May the odds be ever in your favor."<p>

Chekov shivered once more.


	3. Bellona Snow

**First off I would like to thank Fabian Hunter for being my first reviewer! It was a pleasant surprise and for any of you reading this, please review also. It's nice to know you're out there.**

**Secondly, I am attempting to figure out how I can create spaces in between sections of my story. I realize it's been a bit confusing when Captain Kirk's suddenly there and such so I'm working on it. Sorry for the confusion.**

**I was PMed about President Flint's lack of response when finding out that Kirk & Co. are aliens and I thought it was a good point so I'm addressing it here, sort of. You will find out eventually why she didn't react. Don't worry! I've got a reason.**

**Lastly, I will normally update on Sundays but I have a really busy one tomorrow and I didn't want to forget so I'm bringing it to you a day early. Enjoy! –SpockSnapeStephen, 11/12/11**

Spock stood silently behind the seated Uhura, Sulu and security members. The reason the guards had chosen Chekov was because he was young and, they assumed, would probably not be much good in a fight. _The government,_ Spock conjectured, _would attempt to keep Captain Kirk and myself apart. _It was a smart move for the opposing side. No good ever came for the captors by putting the captain and his first officer together in a cell.

_Captors,_ Spock mused. Why had that word come to mind instead of some other, more apt word? His hypothesizing was cut short by the sight of Captain Kirk's ashy blond head and Chekov's chocolaty one coming from around the corner.

"Captain?" Kirk gave Spock a look. Not now, it said silently. Spock glanced deliberately at the waiting guards. Kirk nodded infinitesimally.

"We have been given the help we asked for. For now, we will stay in the East wing of this house." A small cheer went up from the seated crew. _At what price?_ Spock wondered morbidly. The captain raised his hand to chest height to stifle the crew's happy noise.

"Furthermore, President Flint has agreed to supply us with whatever is needed. The rest of the crew will be transported here by sometime tomorrow. In the meantime, we should all get some rest."

0o0o

James T. Kirk looked up at the sound of knocking.

"Come in." After a moment, the doorknob turned. Kirk sat up and Spock entered.

"Curious, these doors," commented Spock.

"Quite." They waited in silence.

Kirk began, "Outwardly, President Flint is generous and kind. Perhaps it is just the fact that we know nothing about this planet, but I feel uneasy here. Also, I've noticed that white roses keep appearing. They used to be a symbol of secrecy."  
>"They also represented innocence, Captain. It is my conclusion that the roses are merely symbols, just as the boat was a symbol of District Four."<br>"Perhaps you're right Spock." Kirk looked around, lips tight. Spock waited expectantly, face tightly under control for whatever news his captain would bring.

"She was a… very attractive woman. Coppery hair, but her eyes!" Kirk said the last two words forcefully.

"Her eyes Captain?" asked Spock, eyebrows up.

"They were two colors, purple and black. The black eye had this dead feeling to it. And the purple… Do you remember Khan?"  
>"Of course Captain." Spock had an idea of where this was going, his mind being just as intelligent as the aforementioned maniac.<br>"And his eyes, do you remember those?"  
>"Yes."<p>

"They were, at first glance, kind, polite, and intelligent. But they masked a calculating madman. That is what her eye reminded me of."

0o0o

The rest of the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise had been relocated in groups among the citizens of the Capitol which meant the senior officers were free, or had nothing to do, depending on how you looked at it.

"What's our situation Scotty?" asked Kirk.

"I've got ev'ryone in Engineering workin' on the Enterprise, sair. Some o' the people from District Three are helpin' out as well. I dunno when we'll be done; we're findin' new problems ev'ry day."

Kirk nodded slowly, wishing for some good news.

"Doctor?"  
>"Our people are in good health. After the doctors here got to them, they were just fine. I've never seen anything like it Jim! The progress they've made compared to us is unbelievable." McCoy's shocking blue eyes sparkled with the excitement of learning.<p>

"Spock?"

Spock spoke, revealing narrow teeth, "It is difficult to find any information; it is all carefully controlled by President Flint. From what I have gathered, there have been three rebellions and one cataclysm. All information from before the Capitol era was lost. The next piece of information gathered was about the so-called Dark Days. The districts rebelled but the Capitol quelled all resistance and destroyed District Thirteen. The government then instituted the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games are an annual sacrifice of one boy and one girl from each district. They are put in an arena to fight to the death. The last standing is declared winner and lives a life of luxury."  
>Kirk interrupted, "Is, Spock?"<br>"Yes, sir. Present tense. The Hunger Games are still in effect," Spock affirmed.

Kirk, disturbed, motioned for him to continue.

"Seventy-five years later, a rebellion was led by the "obliterated" District Thirteen. Previously District Thirteen produced nuclear weapons for the Capitol. When it rebelled, the Capitol arranged an agreement; District Thirteen would disappear underground and the Capitol would pretend it didn't exist." Spock paused a moment, his dark hair glinting in the sunlight filtering in from between the blind slats.

"This was a mistake. District Thirteen rose, gained the support of some of the other districts, and overthrew the Capitol with Hunger Games victor Katniss Everdeen as their symbol. The leaders of that Mockingjay Rebellion voted to have a last Hunger Games with Capitol children, including the former president's granddaughter, Bellona Snow. Bellona won the Games and several years later led a third rebellion to revert the government back to the way it was before the Mockingjay Rebellion. Bellona instigated a purge of victors. All victors had to swear their loyalty to Bellona or be killed. Some did. Many did not. Katniss Everdeen, Mockingjay President Paylor, and Annie Cresta were not given a choice, being deemed too dangerous to continue. Peeta Mellark, Katniss' husband, was not given a choice either but was kept alive, crushed, for the districts to look at when thoughts of rebellion entered their minds."  
>Kirk broke in and leaned forward, momentary inspiration driving disgust from his mind.<p>

"Say, the man who led us to District Four said he was Annie Cresta's brother."

Spock regarded his captain with inscrutable brown eyes.

"Correct, Captain. In addition, President Jade Flint is Bellona's daughter."


	4. A Tour of Panem

**I would like to dedicate this chapter to two sophomores from my high school who died early yesterday morning in a car crash. They made a series of bad decisions that led to their losing control of the car but no one deserves to die like that. Please keep their families and friends in your prayers; they will need them. –SpockSnapeStephen, 11/20/11**

Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Lieutenant Uhura, Doctor McCoy, Mr. Sulu, Ensign Chekov, and President Flint were in a darkened room. The seats were made of soft red velvet and sunk about three inches when one sat in them.  
>An Avox was preparing a film of the thirteen districts and the Capitol to show the newcomers. Sulu had recently found out just what an Avox was. At first there had been stunned silence and then the crew of the Enterprise began to yell. <em>Except Spock,<em> Sulu reminded himself. He just stood there with no expression on his green face, the heartless hobgoblin. It felt good to take a page out of Doctor McCoy's book, even if it was just in his head. _Avoxes just weren't right, _Sulu thought angrily.  
>The large screen flickered to life, exposing the plush interior of one of the many rooms in President Flint's mansion. The patterns of gold (which, President Flint informed them, were made with actual gold) depicted scenes of the president's own Hunger Games. Unlike the few other victors Sulu had seen in interviews and such, Flint did not shy away or try to forget. She embraced it, studied it, and forced everyone to watch it before the start of the Hunger Games.<br>"Welcome to Panem," a booming male voice announced.

"I am Caesar Flickerman, your host of the Hunger Games and commentator for this film." The video swooped over green treetops and swaying plains of golden plants before soaring over white capped mountains to expose the shimmering sea. Dolphins jumped out of the water and the camera dove under to show slopes of sand. The rolling underwater hills morphed into looming mountains.

"District One," Caesar Flickerman, "Producers of luxury items for the Capitol. District One is the wealthiest district of the thirteen but even its wealth cannot be compared to our glorious Capitol." Sulu had to agree with that. Every citizen seemed loaded. In their free time they threw parties, threw up, and continued to eat. When they were bored, they got surgery to change their skin, hair, and eyes. Everyone was mangled in some way. Apparently it was the "fashion." Something most everyone follows.

"District One's past victors are…" Caesar rattled off a list of pompous names like Gloss and Cashmere. With each name, a picture flashed on the screen.

"The mentors for District One are Satin Pike and Fabulous "Fab" Shriner." A curvy girl with strawberry blond hair and a perfect complexion appeared on the screen in a seductive pose. After her, a picture of a hulking man with muscles bigger than hubcaps and a scowl that would make trees lost their leaves was shown.

"District One is a mountainous district with a chilly climate. It rains often and expect to bundle up in the winter. District One is also one of the most scenic districts."  
>"District Two provides weapons, trains, stones, and Peacekeepers. The current District Two mentors are Aloysius Gamaliel and Enobaria Demarius." Aloysius was a tall man with scars running up and down his body. Enobaria had dark hair, light brown skin, and an arrogant, knowing smile.<p>

"Aloysius got those scars in his Hunger Games. That was the year of the deadly plants. He fell into an especially thorny plant on the second day but he fought nearly every contest in the Games… and won," President Flint said admiringly.

Sulu was disgusted by it all. Her words, her tone, the Games, the Avoxes. He stood up and marched out of the room. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Uhura make to stand but the captain put an arm out.

"Let him go," Sulu heard Kirk say, "He'll come back when he's ready."  
>0o0o<p>

Sulu came back around District Ten, the livestock district. Uhura rose to greet him, her soft face twisted into an expression of revulsion as well.

"It's horrible but you haven't missed much," she whispered.

Sulu settled back into his seat in between Chekov and Mr. Spock. Spock turned to him.

"Are you well?" he inquired.

"Yes," Sulu replied, bright eyes downcast. He was irritated; Sulu did not want anyone to think he was weak. Spock nodded calmly and Sulu's attention turned to the fields they saw in the introduction.

"The mentors for District Eleven are Fabian Heters and Ikuyo Siyanda." A short girl with brown hair and gently sloped eyes showed on the screen, her arms crossed. Sulu thought she was beautiful. Unfortunately her picture was quickly replaced with a not so beautiful man. Fabian was tall but extremely fat with a grumpy expression and a seriously messed up face. The only nice thing about him was his hair; it was like the sand of District Four. Except covered in dead, washed-up fish. Sulu just quit trying to find something nice about the man. Maybe he had a good heart.

"District Twelve is the mining district of Panem. District Twelve's previous victors are Haymitch Abernathy, Gemma Stone, Peeta Mellark, Amber Haldis, and Katniss Everdeen." Sulu's ears pricked forward. Katniss was the one to spark the second rebellion.

"The mentors for District Twelve are Peeta Mellark and Gemma Stone." Peeta's picture was flashed on the screen. He had wavy blond hair and eyes nearly as blue as Doctor McCoy's. He looked about the same age too, Sulu realized with sharp eyes. Ms. Stone had reddish-brown hair and pale blue eyes with a thin ring of black at the edges of each iris.

"A Kayser-Fleischer ring," murmured Spock. Sulu looked at him.

A what?

"The dark ring around her eyes is called a Kayser-Fleischer ring. It is a sign of Wilson's disease," Spock explained detachedly to the question Sulu hadn't even voiced. Sulu merely wondered at Spock's knowledge for a moment before returning his gaze to the screen.

"District Thirteen," Mr. Flickerman concluded, "has a continental climate, cold winters, and warm summers; however, the northern part of District Thirteen is colder than the rest of the district." The same shot from the beginning played as Caesar Flickerman concluded with, "Thank you for watching "Welcome to Panem" and may the odds be ever in your favor."

0o0o

"Captain, I suggest we remove ourselves from the Capitol as soon as possible. President Flint's highest priorities are keeping the districts under control and keeping the citizens of Panem happy. I believe we will soon become merely a way for her to continue doing so," stated Spock.

"Oh shut it Spock. You're just jealous she has a better poker face than you do," Doctor McCoy grumbled. Spock did not dignify that statement with a response.

"Gentlemen," Kirk placated, "Spock, we can't leave until Scotty fixes the Enterprise but I agree with you. President Flint doesn't let anything happen that she doesn't want to. It's enough-"  
>Something large and heavy slammed into the door to Kirk's room. They reached for their phasers and Kirk motioned for Spock to get by the side of the door. The captain opened the door quickly, only to get punched in the face full-on by a large man blocking the doorway.<p> 


	5. The Reaping

**Startrekgirl.m made a good point about the action of this story; don't worry, this chapter will start to get there. Moreover, she was very nice about and I appreciate that. Next chapter I will thank everyone who has reviewed so if you want to get your name listed, please review!**

**Next, the people you don't recognize in Kirk's list ****are**** actual people from Star Trek. Yeoman Tina Lawton: "Charlie X"; Lieutenant David Bailey: "The Corbomite Maneuver"; Lieutenant Spinelli: "Space Seed"; Lieutenant Kevin Riley: "The Naked Time", "Conscience of the King."**

**Also, Sulu's proverb I took to mean 'be on your guard.' FYI, this is going to be long. I'm combining two chapters to get to the action sooner. There is a way to see who was chosen for the Hunger Games, if you can find it…**

"I'm so sorry, Cap'n. I was goin' te knock. These blasted doors donna open right!"  
>"That's quite alright," Kirk said. Scotty was horrified. They were all going to need their wits about them to get out of this. He was also horrified about the lack of sliding doors on this planet. Honestly.<p>

"Why were you in suck a rush that you forgot the simple mechanism of opening a door, Mr. Scott?" asked Spock.

"Wha-? Oh! Cap'n! We been workin' with some o' the people from District Three. I caught one o' the smaller ones cuttin' wires and such. I asked 'im what he was doin' and he said he was under orders from President Flint te keep us here."  
>"And… just like that he told you?" Captain Kirk was incredulous.<p>

"Well, this was aftair I told him not te mess with the Entairprise."  
>"Told?"<br>"Well…"

"Irrelevant. Was there anything else he told you, coerced or otherwise?" Spock interrupted.

"Aye! The lad said he thought President Flint was gonna do somethin' bad. He said he dunno what but those Games last year weren't vairy int'restin'! He was goin' te say somethin' else but a chunk o' metal dropped on his head. The poor lad's dead now," Scotty said, worrying. He wasn't normally a man to sit and worry; he liked to do something instead. But the way that bit of metal just dropped, well, Scotty hadn't seen the like of it. It was downright odd.

"Thank you Scotty," Kirk said, deep in his own thoughts.

"Captain, I will reiterate. Though the falling metal was a coincidence, the information Mr. Scott has given us further supports my hypothesis. At the least, we must remove all personnel from the Capitol until more information on President Flint's motives is available," Spock stated firmly.

Kirk turned to face him and nodded.

"Yes, you might be right Spock. I-" Scotty turned to look at the panel on the wall that had interrupted the captain.

"James T. Kirk, please report to my office." It was President Flint's lulling voice. It was not a request.

"Oh, and come alone."  
>0o0o<p>

Minutes later, Captain Kirk was standing in front of President Flint's polished cherry desk. She had not offered him a chair. It was better to needle your opponents when they stood for awhile than to have them sit, and make them your equal.

"Good day Captain. Are the odds in your favor?" President Flint questioned.

After a moment's hesitation, the captain replied, "I don't know yet."  
>President Flint pulled a paper in front of her and let Captain Kirk read it upside down.<p>

Captain James T. Kirk- 50 slips

*Mr. Spock- 40 slips

*Doctor Leonard McCoy- 30 slips

*Mr. Montgomery Scott- 30 slips

*Lieutenant Nyota Uhura- 20 slips

Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu- 20 slips

*Ensign Pavel Chekov- 10 slips

Yeoman Janice Rand- 10 slips

And so the list went on until it ended with

*Doctor Helen Noel- 2 slips

"Not all your crewmembers are on here Captain, just the important ones. If we loaded up with too many nobodies, the odds of picking someone important would decrease." President Flint stood up, her good eye as hard and glinting as amethyst, and the other just as dark as ever.

"President Flint, I don't know what you're talking about. What are these… slips? What do they mean?" Captain Kirk asked, beginning to get angry. President did not answer, keeping the captain in suspense.

"Doctor McCoy and Mr. Spock are good friends of yours, are they not?" inquired Jade Flint. This time Kirk did not answer.

"It would be a shame if something happened to them, wouldn't it." She said it as a statement, letting it soak in. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kirk's attention rest fully on her. Inside, Flint was smirking, allowing herself to take joy in the captain's worry for a moment. She knew it wouldn't show on her face; nothing ever did unless she wanted it to.

"Well right now, they, and some others, are being held hostage. If you want to see them again, gather the people who are not starred and lead them to the square by 10 o'clock tomorrow. Understand?"  
>Kirk nodded slowly.<p>

"What do the stars mean?" he asked, stalling.

"Why Captain, they're the ones we already have."  
>0o0o<p>

The next day, Kirk hurried along the hallway. _Spock, Bones, Uhura, Chekov, Scotty, Lawton, Bailey, Spinelli, Helen,_ he thought. Without them, even if the ship were in working order, Kirk couldn't fly the Enterprise. President Flint had successfully picked the people he couldn't do without, and added some others for number's sake. But was he putting all the people not starred on that list at risk by taking them to the square? Whatever Flint wanted to do, if she was resorting to hostages, wasn't good. Kirk paused before knocking on Sulu's door. He had to help his friends. There was too much to lose if he didn't.

"Captain?" Sulu's gentle voice accompanied the lieutenant opening the door. Kirk took a deep breath.

"Lieutenant, I need you to report to the foyer of the mansion immediately. Wait there until I come." Sulu's eyebrows drew together but he agreed.

"Yes sir." The lieutenant began to walk away but halted and turned towards Kirk.

"Captain, is everything…" Sulu let it trail off. Kirk had a sudden flash of inspiration. _Sulu knew_.

"Go to the foyer please Lieutenant," Kirk said softly. Lieutenant Sulu nodded and whispered something Kirk barely caught.

"Don't think there are no crocodiles because the water is calm, Captain."

0o0o

Kirk accompanied Lieutenant Riley, the last on his list, to the reception area. He had a moment of doubt. There were friends of his here too. Sulu, Yeoman Rand, Nurse Chapel… Kirk ripped his eyes from searching the crowd to address them all.

"Friends, last night Mr. Spock, Doctor McCoy, Mr. Scott, Lieutenant Uhura, Ensign Chekov, Yeoman Lawton, Lieutenant Bailey, Lieutenant Spinelli, and Doctor Noel were all taken hostage. My instructions were to gather you all here and go to the square in the middle of the Capitol. I do not know what waits for us there but I do know that we must go of our own free will. That is the only way to show them that we won't play their games. They want to scare us, intimidate us," the words were coming in a rush now, "but we won't let them! We will go because we want to. If anyone wants to stay behind, I won't stop you." No one moved and Kirk's heart swelled with pride.

"Let's go."

0o0o

The crowd of blue, yellow, and red marched steadily to the Capitol Square. Despite interdepartmental laser tag wars and all the pranks and tricks that naturally happened between departments, they all belonged on the Enterprise. And God help anyone who was going to get in their way to rescue their friends.

Kirk stopped once they came upon a grid with signs hanging from each roped off square.

_Women, 60+_ said the sign nearest Kirk. The sea behind him began to filter into their squares. The captain stepped into the square next to Spock.

"Captain," he said in greeting.

"Spock." Spock was standing in a square labeled _Other, Male, 40-50_. Other. Kirk's fury boiled at the word.

"Hem, hem, if we'll get started," said a woman with black hair in a pixie cut.

"My name is Kerra Tynan. I am the escort for District Two. Today we will be having the Capitol's first real, live Reaping! Isn't it excellent?" Kirk's blood turned into some sort of lead and ice mixture as the bloodthirsty crowd surrounding them cheered. He looked at Spock, who was staring straight ahead, no emotion on his face. Only Kirk or the CMO could have noticed Spock's especially rigid posture.

"Now I'll hand the microphone to your one and only President Flint." The crowd clapped wildly as the president walked up to the podium.

"As you all know, before the land of Panem, we lived in a way much different from this. There were wars and cruel, senseless murders. Then there came great floods and wildfires and earthquakes. Citizens believed the world was ending and many died. In the aftermath, people fought for food and water. A drought had fallen over the land but out of the destruction, the Capitol rose and brought reason to the surrounding land. Not everyone was grateful."

"The districts rose to overthrow the Capitol. They were not successful. Twelve districts were defeated and the thirteenth made a deal. They would live underground and not stir up trouble and the Capitol leave them alone. This was a mistake on the part of the weak president. District Thirteen rose up and gathered the other districts into the Mockingjay Rebellion. They succeeded for a while. My mother led a third rebellion and now we have an improved government. We have kept the tradition of the Hunger Games as a reminder that the Capitol will always triumph. It is a both a time for repentance and a time for thanks." Kerra came back on.

"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor. Ladies first? Excellent!" _You could hear a pin drop,_ thought Kirk wildly. Sometimes strange thoughts entered one's brain in stressful times.

Kerra read the name out loud. It wasn't Yeoman Rand, it wasn't Doctor Noel, it was…


	6. The Reaping Part II

"Lieutenant Nyota Uhura!" called Kerra, "Please come on up." The lieutenant walked slowly to the stage and mounted the wooden steps. As she faced them, Kirk could tell there were unshed tears in her eyes. Uhura would not give the Capitol the satisfaction of seeing her cry. Kirk's heart felt like it would crack from emotion. Pride for Uhura's refusal to let them win, sadness for the fact she was chosen, helplessness at the fact he couldn't do anything to stop it.

"Now for the boy tribute," Ms. Tynan crowed.

"Mr. Spock!" Kirk couldn't think; he could only see one of his best friends stepping up beside the escort to die.

Mr. Spock's calm brown eyes met Kirk's for a moment, showing no fear, before he turned to shake Lieutenant Uhura's hand.

After Kerra finished reading a long document about the Treaty of Reason, she said, "Because this is unprecedented for the Capitol, we don't have mentors. Who will volunteer to guide them?"  
>Before he knew what he was doing, Kirk ran out to the stage.<p>

"I will," he said, panicked as if someone would try to take his place. _It's the least I can do,_ Kirk thought. He had gotten them all into this mess.

"I'll be the second mentor," said the low voice of Dr. McCoy. In his haste, Captain Kirk hadn't noticed the CMO climb up beside him.

"Excellent! Your names?" Kerra inquired.

"My name is Captain Kirk. This is my chief medical officer, Dr. Leonard McCoy."  
>"Excellent."<p>

**I was going to leave this until the next chapter but I thought about it and I realized I'd feel like jumping up and down and screaming 'Grrrr!' for a bit if someone did this to me, so for those of you who noticed that it was possible to go on with the chapter button, kudos (Karidian , sorry, that wasn't funny) and enjoy.**


	7. Jove the Human

**Hi, I'm back and so are you. Great! I said I would give a list of everyone who has reviewed and so here it is. Thank you to Fabian Hunter, SneverusSnapers, startrekgirl.m, and Lordoftheghostking28. I have twelve reviews. That's not many guys! Please review; it makes me very happy inside.**

**Also, Vader Kersfees was as close as I could find to a Father Christmas figure in Africa. Uhura is ****not**** African American, she comes from the United States of Africa. **

**Lastly, if you have any recommendations at all that you would like to see in my story, please, please, please review or PM me. I'm always looking to make it better.**

**Here's another chapter of Panem et Circenses. Enjoy! –SpockSnapeStephen  
><strong>

The four sat in a room as the last of the visitors came through the engraved metal door. Nurse Chapel was the very last, sobbing into her hands as Peacekeepers led her away after she threw her arms around Doctor McCoy and planted a kiss on a bewildered Spock's cheek.

"Good luck," she whispered hoarsely through tears to the contestants.

As Nurse Chapel was leaving, Kerra walked in with two armed Peacekeepers.

"Normally if you were in a district, we'd ship you off on a train to the Capitol. Since you're already here, District Two's mentors and tributes have been brought over on a bullet train this morning. You will pair up with them until the Games begin. They'll, how do you say, show you the ropes. As for the time being, expect cameras!" Kerra said cheerily. She pushed the double doors open and let the videos hook on the tributes before heading through the sea of people.

Light bulbs flashed and microphones were shoved in the faces of the new tributes and their mentors.

"Captain! How do you feel about your friends being chosen for the Games?"  
>"Mr. Spock! Can you tell us why you're so green?"<br>"Nyota! Can we call you Nyota? We-"  
>Kerra just kept pushing through the crowd of reporters and eager citizens.<p>

"Out of my way. No comment. No comment! I said, out of my way!" Eventually Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy, Uhura, and Kerra got to the spiraling glass Training Center Spock had seen from the train. In the lobby, four others awaited.

0o0o

The three crewmen and one crewwoman had already seen the mentors from District Two in the "Welcome to Panem" video.

Uhura shivered as she remembered seeing Aloysius' scars for the first time and how Sulu had to leave. Despite Aloysius' fairly medium size, Uhura was more scared of him than Enobaria. At least, she thought that until she saw the woman's purposely filed teeth and their golden, metallic caps. Enobaria was more frightening than anyone had a right to be.

The first tribute Uhura met introduced herself as Iolite Bloodstone.

"But call me Io," the teenager said, flashing perfect teeth. Io had a deep red, almost burgundy, head of hair. She had cornflower-y eyes, a mixture of blue and purple, but unlike Flint's they were light, in color and in attitude.

Uhura barely noticed the male tribute, Peridot Sard, a short, thin boy with shaggy black hair and amber eyes like a wolf. He looked to be only a year younger than Io, maybe sixteen.

"My name is Captain Kirk. I'm Lieutenant Uhura's mentor along with my chief medical officer Doctor McCoy. He will be mentoring Mr. Spock, my first officer."  
>"All wrapped up in this aren't you Captain?" Peridot commented quietly.<p>

"Ah, yes. Yes, I suppose you could say that," the captain replied uneasily and awkwardly. Uhura felt uncomfortable as well; the boy was staring at her intensely. Though the lieutenant didn't know it, at that moment, everyone felt threatened by the teen. Even Mr. Spock.

"Well!" Kerra broke the silence, "Shall we get started? We've got lots to do!"

0o0o

Apparently, the first thing to do was watch the rest of the Reapings. Spock made note of every tribute that was Reaped but a few, he noted, were especially threatening. The District Four male, Dorian Iron, was tall and thick like he worked out all day every day, though that was prohibited. District Eight's tributes, Sherman Walker and Calico Baily, were both underground gang members.

"Tsk, tsk," Kerra tsked, "It's a wonder the Peacekeepers actually got some of their kind," she said the word 'kind' nastily, "to the Reapings. Every time the government tries to catch them, the gang's just slipped away." Kerra looked around instinctively.

"That's not to say that the Peacekeepers are incapable of their job or anything!" she added loudly, nervously and hit play.

Nero Mollica, District Five. District Nine, Demeter Kerns. And the ever-chilling Peridot Sard. Out of the corner of his eye, Spock saw Uhura noting each person but with sadness in her eyes, picking out the people who would be something Spock had learned was "bloodbath fodder." The children like Kavi Mae from District Three; a petite girl with electric blue eyes and a huddled posture. Or Channer Latham, the other District Three tribute. People like Cedar Weist, who'd already announced they had no plans to live. And Spock had to agree. Very few of the tributes were well-fed and looked any good for a fight.

Spock had been thinking a lot about being a tribute in the Games. He was not afraid, but he was a pacifist at heart. In most situations there was a better alternative to killing. _But the Games are not 'most situations,'_ one side of him argued. There was really nothing to decide; Spock and Uhura had to make it back to the Enterprise. There was a point where Spock would have to decide what choice he was going to make but right now was not that time. Now was the time to prepare to have the best chance of getting back to the ship, the captain, and (though Spock didn't like to admit he'd miss the man) Doctor McCoy.

Spock had also noticed Lieutenant Uhura's reluctance to face the fact that they would have to battle and probably kill children. That was not a good attitude for a tribute to go into the Games with. Spock would have to speak to her.

"Right," Kerra said, popping out the video tapes, "In a few minutes you'll meet your prep team. District Two, follow me! District Enterprise, they'll be right in. Any questions? Excellent!" Spock had a thought that no, it really wasn't excellent at all.

0o0o

Lieutenant Nyota Uhura stood in the middle of a cool blue room. There were all sorts of beauty tools that looked more like torture devices than products to make you look pretty. Some of them even felt like torture.

Uhura thought she was good at taking care of herself. She ate healthy, took showers every day, took care of her hair, and exercised but when Les and Jeni swarmed her with comments like "Your hair. It's… It's… *sigh*" and "Oh the humanity!" it was pretty hard to feel good about your habits.

The two of them (the Capitol could only spare two stylists) were finally just swirling about her, checking for any flaws they had left to perfect. Deciding Uhura was finally good enough, they retreated out of the room to make way for her stylist. While waiting, Uhura thought about the mini-meeting the four crewmembers had. Spock had told her off for worrying about the other tributes. She knew that she shouldn't be rooting for her competitors but the sight of all the small, defenseless children nearly tore her to pieces. Kirk had stuck up for her a bit but Uhura knew he and the doctor were feeling horrible. They would both rather be in the Games than have to watch their friends enter.

Uhura's musings were interrupted by a man entering the room. He was short and fat with plump cheeks and sparkling eyes. _If he'd had a beard, he'd be Vader Kersfees_, Uhura thought.

"Hello," the man said in a pleasant voice, "My name is Jove. I'm your stylist. Please excuse me while I find a good look for you." Jove waddled around the somewhat bemused lieutenant. Uhura was expecting some malicious grinch but instead here was a happy human full of life and joy.

"Alright," he said snapping his fingers, "I've got it!"  
>Uhura stood still, unknowingly holding her breath slightly.<p>

"Have you ever wanted to be a galaxy?"


	8. Prisoner in a Gilded Cage

**I'm sorry that last chapter was a pretty fluffy chapter. Don't worry, I will get to the arena soon, I promise. **

**I also apologize about how late I am getting this up. I've been working on a big project due tomorrow all weekend. I'm really sorry about how bad these last two chapters have been so next week I'm updating twice, once on Saturday and another time on Sunday. Thanks for staying with me. –SpockSnapeStephen, 12/11/11**

Several hours after Jove conferred with Spock's stylist, Makaria, Uhura and Spock were standing in a carriage pulled by black horses. Almost none of the male tributes were paying attention to anything they were supposed to be doing in favor of staring at Uhura. The District Four girl tossed her cornsilk hair toward her district partner who was completely oblivious. Uhura was slightly uncomfortable with all the attention but she stood straight ahead, blocking out the stares.

"Alright now," puffed Jove, "Smile and wave lots. Remember, you're trying to get sponsors so act happy!" Uhura glanced side-long at Spock. How was he going to pull "smiley" off and still maintain his Vulcan dignity?

"You need not worry about me Lieutenant. Just get a smile on your face and we'll have sponsors lining up faster than the captain can get the girl," Spock said dryly.

Uhura was astonished. Had Spock just made a joke?

Before she could delve further into this new development, Jove slapped the jet black horses' flanks and they were off. District Enterprise would be the last chariot and the last to be interviewed. The crowd was already hoarse with cheering but when Spock and Uhura entered the city streets, the applause and yelling swelled.

One of the large television screens floated past and Uhura saw a beautiful African woman dressed in a long, midnight blue gown studded with white, glowing pinpricks like stars and swirling colors like galaxies. Her makeup was expertly done and the royal blue eye shadow had spread sparkles over her face, catching the light and throwing it every which way.

Uhura realized she was looking at herself.

Spock stood beside her, waving. His button-down shirt was the same color as Uhura's dress but the material was shiny and silken. The cuffs were buttoned at the wrists, one of which was held behind his back but the other was forming the Vulcan salute to the crowd. Uhura suddenly remembered she was to do what he was doing, get sponsors.

She drew up a smile and beamed at the people who had put her in this nightmare. Despite the beautiful clothes and beautiful chariot, she was still just as much a prisoner performing for a crowd as she had been on Triskelion. As they stopped before President Flint, who was standing on a balcony high above them, Uhura got a chance to look around at the others a bit.

District Two's tributes were dressed as Peacekeepers, except no Peacekeeper would go into a fight so little clothing. Io's burgundy hair showed up like blond against her snow white uniform. She was smiling and striking poses like there was no tomorrow.

_I suppose that's a good attitude for us tributes, _Uhura thought grimly.

District Four was dressed in tones of green, blue, and purple. The girl, Kailani had a flowing dress with a net draped over her shoulders as a "stylish" poncho. Her white-blond hair was woven with strands of shells. Dorian had on only some loose, rough pants to show off his bulging muscles.

Uhura cringed at the sight of District Six' pharmaceutical costumes. They were dressed up as half white, half red pills with small opening for feet, arms, and eyes. District Ten wasn't much better with goats straining to pull the chariot. Uhura couldn't even tell what the tributes were. They seemed to be a conglomeration of every farm animal Uhura knew of but no stylist could be that bad. Right?

District Twelve was alright. They were dressed in hard black armor made like the anthracite they mined. The boy tribute stumbled as the chariots began to move again.

Jove was shaking hands fervently with everyone who had come up to congratulate him, including President Flint.

"That was an excellent job, Jove. Keep up the good work and good things will come. If you don't, well…" she said, smiling blandly as her black eye stared through Uhura. Apparently she had control of the two eyes separately since the purple eye was still fixed on Jove. The president left and Jove shivered.

"Why did President Flint threaten you like that?" inquired Spock as Jove helped Uhura out of the chariot. Jove shot him a look.

"I thought you were supposed to be clever," muttered Jove, "You're the Capitol's tributes. You won't get any help in the arena but until then it's up to Kerra, Makaria, and I to make sure you've got the best shot. The citizens of the Capitol do not want their tributes to look like fools."

**Again, sorry about the short, kind of fluffy chapter. I'll try to make up for it next week.**


	9. Hamartia

**Hello again. This is your promised first of two chapters in order to make up for the two past fluffy chapters. I feel like I've been slacking off a bit on you. Enjoy your apology! –SpockSnapeStephen, 12/17/11**

Kirk had been impressed with Jove's work. Sponsor calls had already been placed on both of the Enterprise tributes. _Even so,_ he thought as they rewatched the opening ceremonies, _I would have given nearly anything to be in Spock's place._ Idly standing by made Kirk feel so… useless. He didn't like that. On the Enterprise Kirk was in charge. What he said, went. Kirk knew the doctor felt the same way about things.

"Alright. Now's the time to talk about training. Do you want to do this together or separately?" Kerra asked cheerily.

Peridot and Io looked at Spock and Uhura.

"Separately," Uhura and Io said in unison. Kerra gave a little pout. Being with the "aliens" was getting her more attention than she had gotten in a lifetime.

"Enterprise, in there," she pointed to an adjoining room, "Two, stay with me." Jove, Makaria, Uhura, Spock, Kirk, and McCoy all filed into the room. It was equipped with a table, an overhead, and a pack of overhead markers.

"Okay. Well, Bones and I already know what you can do. We've worked with you for years," Kirk said.

"Jove and I haven't. What can you do?" questioned Makaria.

Spock began, "I am capable of performing an action humans call the Vulcan nerve pinch. I can dispatch an attacker swiftly using martial arts. I also have a large array of knowledge on plants, animals, knots, and other things. I am skilled with various types of weapons such as the sword, phaser, and knives. In addition, Vulcans are naturally stronger, faster, and more durable than humans. "

Kirk turned to Uhura and saw her gulp, feeling her pain. When someone's abilities were set against Spock's, they always seemed inferior.

"Well, I have some knowledge of weapons and such," Uhura said.

"You also teach those classes," Kirk pointed out.

"Oh yes. I've been leading a combat program aboard the Enterprise for the security personnel. It's kind of like judo," the lieutenant stated more confidently.

"Well," Makaria smiled, "You're much better off than the majority of the tributes. The District Nine male has fallen sick! You know, I'm getting sick too. Oh dear. What am I going to do at the interviews if I have a runny nose?"  
><em>Yes, you're the one with the problem,<em> thought Kirk sarcastically and quite out of his normal character.

"Speaking of the interviews and the like," Jove led to smooth the tension in the air that arose from Makaria's statement, "You have to report for Training. Hide what you can do. Learn something you can't."  
>"What about the interviews?" asked Doctor McCoy.<p>

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there. But don't worry, Makaria and I have something up our sleeves," Jove said, a merry glint shimmering in his eye.

0o0o

Spock sat alone in the dining room of the Training Center, long since full. Throughout the lunch, tributes were called out to go to the private sessions in front of the Gamemakers. No one had come back.

Uhura had left moments ago and Spock had nodded to her curtly before she had gone. The lieutenant was obviously nervous.

Fifteen minutes later a small girl with chin-length red-gold hair called his name.

"Um. I'm looking for a, uh, Mister Spook? Spayk? Spoke?" The girl huffed impatiently and pointed somewhat aggressively at Spock.

"You there. You're up to bat."

"Up to bat?" Spock inquired, "I was not aware we were playing baseball."  
>"Just get in there!" the girl growled impatiently, shoving him towards the door.<p>

Spock looked around calmly. The Gamemakers were staring intently at the foreigner, ignoring the food that was being brought out by Avoxes.

"Gentlemen," Spock bowed slightly and showed the Vulcan salute. A few of them tried to salute back, producing comical results. Only they weren't funny to Spock.

"I need a volunteer," he announced. The Gamemakers chatted nervously amongst themselves quickly.

"No Gamemakers will assist you. However," a male Gamemaker said and then raised his voice, "Alanna!" The teenage girl from before poked her head in.

"Yes Head Gamemaker?"

"We need you to assist this young… what are you anyways?" the Head Gamemaker asked rudely. Alanna looked nervously at Spock. He looked coolly back.

"Yes sir," she said, blue eyes wary. Alanna stood in front of him, back to the intent Gamemakers who were watching for Spock to grow tentacles and suck the life out of their assistant. Or something of the like.

"What I'm about to do will feel strange but it won't hurt much," explained Spock. He reached out and gently pinched Alanna's neck where it connected to her shoulder. Her eyes rolled up and legs gave way but Spock caught her and lowered her to the ground. Gasps from the Gamemakers arose.

"Do not be alarmed. She is merely unconscious. Alanna will regain consciousness in approximately an hour. Thank you for your attention." Spock stepped over Alanna's prone body, leaving the doctors to take care of her until she woke.

After all, she, unlike the tributes, would wake.

0o0o

Uhura thought the training went well. She had learned how to distinguish edible plants from poisonous ones just in case Spock wasn't… around for the whole of the Games. Uhura hated to think like that but she had to be ready. It was possible that neither of them, once they entered the Games, would ever see Doctor McCoy or Captain Kirk or her friends Nurse Chapel and Yeoman Rand or the Enterprise ever again. They could get jumped. They could get killed in their sleep. They could stumble unknowingly into a trap. Really, once Uhura and Spock went into the arena, all bets were off. Figuratively.

"Ooo! Scores are on!" Makaria squealed. Uhura walked to the television, just missing Navid Maul's score.

Maxandria Saleem; District One; 8.

Peridot Sard; District Two; 10

Iolite Bloodstone; District Two; 6. Uhura closed her eyes in a sudden onslaught of despair. All she had done was some fighting, using her opponent's leverage to win. It wasn't super impressive.

Miriam Gallucci; District Five; 4.

Sage Bakos; District Six; 7.

Rosemarie Dales; District Six; 3.

Cedar Weist; District Seven; 1.

_How did anyone get a one? _ Uhura wondered. _How could someone be that bad? Surely he had __some__ skills._ Then she remembered Cedar was the boy who had announced he was going to make sure he didn't win. Not for any especially heroic reason, Cedar just said he had nothing to live for.

Nuria Harad; District Twelve; 5.

Finnigan Hyatt; District Thirteen; 6.

Athena Williams; District Thirteen; 8.

Uhura held her breath, not wanting the tiny, gentle exhaling sound to, in any way, interfere with hearing her score.

Nyota Uhura; District Enterprise; 10.

Spock; District Enterprise; 12.

"Twelve?" Makaria shrieked, "No one… I've never… no way…" And she fainted.

Spock sat dispassionately in the middle of a whirlwind of congratulations. Jove slapped the Vulcan on the back heartily.

"Well done son!" he exclaimed. Spock opened his mouth, then (no doubt thinking of how futile it was to protest that he was not, in fact, Jove's son) closed it, shaking his head.

Uhura was still surprised she had gotten a ten. Sure she threw around her opponent a bit but really… Although Yeoman Rand said that was Uhura's hamartia, underestimating herself.

"Congratulations Lieutenant." Uhura looked up to see Spock looming over her.

"And the same to you Mr. Spock," she said quietly, musing.


	10. Peeta and Interviews and Singing, Oh My!

**Hello all. Thanks for reading. I updated last chapter to include more of Spock's abilities (thanks goes to startrekgirl.m who gave me a list of Spock's many accomplishments). Other than that the chapter was not changed. I hope it works; I've never actually gone back and changed something before. At least, not that I can remember. I will be updating on Friday of this week (first taste of the arena!) because I will be gone for winter vacation next Sunday. After this week, I hope to go back to normal updates. –SpockSnapeStephen; 12/18/11**

Leonard McCoy sat in the audience wedged in between the captain and a stocky man about his own age with blond, wavy hair. Doctor McCoy supposed the man was Peeta Mellark. District Thirteen mentors would have been between District Twelve and District Enterprise but, according to Spock, no one from Thirteen had won since they reinstituted the Games.

"Say, you must be Leonard McCoy," Peeta said warmly, "I'd heard we had some visitors from the sky."

Doctor McCoy smiled back. It was easy to talk to this man.

"Yes. I'm McCoy and this is the captain of the Enterprise, Captain Kirk."  
>Kirk tuned into the conversation, "How do you do?" Peeta's smile turned a tad tight and somewhat sad.<p>

"Same old, same old," he said, "I don't think Gemma's and my tributes are very good this year. That's Nuria, our female tribute." Peeta pointed to a blue-eyed girl looking nervously around her, wiping her palms on her short navy dress.

"And that's Aidan." This time Peeta was pointing at a too thin, black-haired boy in a tuxedo.

"At least Nuria's from the merchant's part of town so she hasn't been starving her whole life," the District Twelve mentor said bitterly, "but Aidan's from the Seam. He's never had enough to eat." Peeta sighed.

"You're rich. Can't you give them some of your things?" Doctor McCoy asked, expecting the man to recoil in horror and say something like "_My_ things? To _them_?" but he didn't.

"My wife tried that a time ago. It wasn't as successful as we had hoped…" He trailed off, probably going to an unhappy place with even unhappier memories.

Doctor McCoy cleared his throat.  
>"So, is this Ms. Stone?"<br>"Hm? Oh yes. Gemma," he nudged the woman with auburn hair sitting next to him and she turned, "This is Doctor McCoy and Captain Kirk."

Gemma nodded, her eyes tired.

"Pleased to meet you," she said.

"And you," the captain replied graciously. Their conversation was cut off by Caesar Flickerman, the host of Welcome to Panem and the Hunger Games. For the current Games, he was dressed in a moss green suit with pale green lips, eyelids, and contacts. His hair was slicked back with grease and was dyed forest green.

"Welcome to the 124th Hunger Games interviews! I'm your host, Caesar Flickerman, and this year we have twenty-eight tributes so let's get cracking! First up!" Alanna tapped the District One male on the shoulder and moved to stand behind the female tribute.

"What's your name?" inquired Caesar kindly.

"I'm Navid Maul," the boy said. He had green eyes and a medium build. His skin was tanned, though obviously not from working outside in the fields all day. District One was too good for that.

"Now, District One produces luxury goods for the Capitol. How do you feel seeing all of your district's work being used?"  
>"It's great. I mean, we work so hard for all the citizens and it's just awesome to see how happy people are with them. How about those plush massage chairs, eh?" joked Navid.<p>

The crowd cheered. 'Lax Plush Massage chairs (so 'laxing your muscles will thank you) were all the rage in the Capitol. Several important guests were seated in them on the balconies currently.

"District One is typically a Career district. Are you planning on joining?" asked Caesar Flickerman.

"Oh yeah. Careers almost always win. Just look at our own President Flint. She was a Career and you could say she won multiple times. First the Games, then presidency so anything could happen once I win, you know?" The buzzer sounded and Navid returned to his seat, passing Maxandria but not saying a word. People of all types went up. Funny, witty, sexy, strong and silent, lean and mean, quick, intelligent. But only one kind angle.

Because kindness doesn't win the Hunger Games.

"District Five, come on up!" Alanna tapped the boy and then, when the buzzer rang, the girl.

"So, you're Miriam Gallucci, right?" Caesar confirmed.

"Yes sir." Miriam had curly, chocolate brown, medium-length hair that framed her light olive face. Overly large, pale blue-green eyes stood out drastically.

"No need for formalities. We're among friends."  
>"If you say so sir," Miriam said reluctantly.<p>

"What's going to be your angle for the Games?" questioned Caesar. Miriam seemed to open up a little.

"Well, I'm hoping to make an alliance with some people and stick with them. I don't really want to hurt anyone so I'm going to evade mostly," she said with a shy smile.

"What has been your favorite part of coming to the Capitol?" Caesar asked gently, trying to ease her nervousness.

"All the people. All the servants are so nice; it's fun to talk to them and hear their stories," Miriam said, finally warming to Caesar. _He really does try to help the tributes out,_ McCoy thought.

"Like what? Oh, that's the buzzer! Hope to see you back here again Miriam," Caesar said sincerely.

"Likewise," she murmured. McCoy was once again plunged into the world of exotic, playful, eccentric, wily, and overall unique people. He was almost zoning out until Alanna tapped on Spock's shoulder. He stood up and walked to the host, sitting in one smooth movement.

"Now you're the first tribute from a different planet. The young lady was born on a planet a lot like our own but I've heard your planet has very different customs. Why don't you tell us about them?" instructed Caesar curiously.

"I come from the planet Vulcan. It has a hotter and drier climate than Panem. Most of the surface is desert and mountains. The planet has a thinner atmosphere and stronger surface gravity than this one. As a result, the inhabitants are physically stronger, faster, and more durable than humans. Vulcans are also more logical and less emotion-driven," said Spock, his face seemingly uninterested but McCoy could tell Spock was studying Caesar Flickerman.

"Do you think that unemotional perspective on things will help when you're fighting in the Games?" inquired Caesar.

"Most likely; however, the majority of Vulcans are pacifists so I will endeavor to abstain from fighting," Spock pointed out.

" Really? If possible, would you rather have had someone volunteer for you so you wouldn't have to kill?"

"No," Spock stated firmly, "Because of my heritage I am one of the best people to have been picked as tribute. I would have no one else volunteer for me."

"It's too bad we can't talk about the twelve you scored. That may be first in Hunger Games history. I know it's a first since we started up again. Wow. A twelve." Caesar shook his head in astonishment and the bell rang.

"Next we have Lieutenant Nyota Uhura!" Uhura stepped up in a brilliant red gown. Jove had put extensions in her hair and made it up into a messy bun.

"Hello Caesar," she said pleasantly. Doctor McCoy realized he had butterflies in his stomach. Though he wasn't up there, it was nerve-wracking.

"Where are you from? What's it like there?" Caesar prompted amiably.

"I'm from a planet called Earth. It's a lot like Panem but there are many different countries. I come from a part of Earth called the United States of Africa. It's quite large actually." Caesar leaned forward.

"A little bird told me you like to sing, is that right?" Uhura nodded.

"How about you sing something for us?"

Uhura's eyes opened a little wider, "Right now? Um, okay." She threw a look at Spock and a little smile played about her lips.

"Oh, on the starship Enterprise, there's someone who's in Satan's guise. Whose devil's ears and devil's eyes could rip your heart from you!" Uhura sang sweetly. Only someone who knew her noticed it was a little too sweet, as she was completely messing with Spock.

"That was wonderful! Can I get a round of applause?" Caesar motioned for the audience after Uhura finished a verse.

Once the storm of clapping abated, Caesar asked, "You work as communications officer on the Enterprise, correct? What does that job entail?"  
>"Well," Uhura started, "It's not all just saying "Channel's open, Captain." You have to be able to fix your panel. You have to know different kinds of radio waves and how to work everything perfectly because if you accidentally cut off communications with a hostile enemy ship, many lives could be lost. And those are just some of the things you have to be able to do."<p>

"Seems you certainly lead an exciting life." Caesar was cut off by the buzzer.

"Alright. That was our last contestant. Everyone give a hand for our tributes!" The anthem begins to play as the crowd gets to their feet. McCoy and Kirk started to file out after the anthem, searching for Spock and Uhura. _You know_, McCoy thought, _Things might just turn out okay. _


	11. Look Behind You

**Hey all. Just a note: tutaonana apparently means goodbye with the acknowledgement the people will see each other again. At least, that's what I gathered from this Kamusi project thing, which is a Swahili-English and English-Swahili dictionary. If any of you speak Swahili and I have horribly misused this term, please let me know. Thanks! For those of you off this coming week, have a wonderful winter break. Safe travels to all of you. SpockSnapeStephen; 12/23/11**

Uhura lay awake in her bed. No matter what she did, there was never a time she had felt less like sleeping. Her body was a live wire, nearly trembling. Uhura had faced things like this before but hardly ever with as much time to wait. She'd had nearly a week to get used to the fact that she was going to enter a large arena with children, some of whom were trained to kill. Traps lurked at every corner. The only people Uhura could trust were Captain Kirk, Doctor McCoy, and Mister Spock. But could she trust Spock? Despite all his displays of being unemotional, Uhura knew Spock wanted to get back Enterprise very badly. But would he kill a fellow crewmember to get back to the ship? What would the crew's reaction be? With those happy thoughts floating around her instead of sugar plums, Uhura drifted off somewhere. Not quite awake; not quite sleeping, but somewhere in between.

A blue stripped snake slithered ominously across the floor after a frightened rabbit. The snake's jaws opened wider and wider, swallowing the red bunny to the applause of President Flint. They disappeared and a golden lion flickered on the wall like it was projected by one of those old time projectors they had at the movies. Two small orphan children in rags shambled through the image up to Uhura's bedside, eyes piteous and hands outstretched. Uhura tried to reassure them but she had lost the use of her voice.

_Panem_ was the word written on the small, stunted girl's forehead.

_Circenses_ read the boy's. His chest wheezed in and out, ribs showing from behind his tattered clothes.

_They're trying to keep me from the Hunger Games!_ Uhura thought, panicked.

She sat up quickly, wide awake, the slimy feeling of sweat all over her body.

"Uhura! Uhura!" Jove slammed on the door.

"I'm up! What's wrong?" Uhura said sleepily as she stumbled to the door.

"Get up! Get up!" Jove waddled to the curtains and threw them open, letting blinding sunlight illuminate the room.

"We overslept. The train to the arena will leave soon! Get dressed. I'll dress you for the Games later. Hurry, hurry, don't be late; there is no time to hesitate!" Jove cried. They rushed to the train and jumped on before it began to move.

"Whew," Uhura smiled at the little man beside her.

"You can't cut it closer than that," murmured Jove, perspiring slight.

"Would the train really have left without a tribute?" asked the lieutenant.

"I don't know; a tribute's never locked their door from the inside before! I don't even know how you did it," Jove said and Uhura frowned.

"I didn't." Jove just frowned back at her.

"Don't worry about that. There are other, more important things to think of. Like the arena," he pointed out, "Right. Your tracker. This way." His face transformed to a look of total business. He led Uhura to a white sterilized room where a man in a clean, white coat met them.

"This is a tracker. It's so we don't lose you in the arena. Just stand still," he said, lips barely moving. In fact, almost none of his face moved. It was like he was wearing a mask, perhaps the effect of too many unneeded surgeries. Uhura flinched a bit when the long metal needle bit into her skin.

"Alrighty. You're all set. May the odds be ever in your favor." The man smiled without crinkling his skin at all. Uhura smiled somewhat uneasily back before Jove put his hand on her lower back and steered her into a dining room. Uhura felt queasy at the sight of all the food, especially when she remembered the starving children.

"Where are Spock, Doctor McCoy, and the captain?" she asked. Uhura was barely paying attention to what she was piling on her plate. She knew that since she was nervous it would all taste the same anyway.

"Kirk and McCoy are working out last-minute strategies. Spock is doing the same thing you are. In a few minutes you'll speak with your mentors a last time. I'll get you dressed and the Games start at ten," Jove informed her, looking down at his cereal, stirring it with his spoon.

After a few minutes of Uhura picking at her food, attempting to eat, and the two of them sitting in awkward silence, Jove pushed back from the table.

"Ready?" he asked. Uhura just nodded. Her stylist led her to a room where Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy were sitting, fiddling with their pens and paper. Kirk stood up once Uhura entered. The three looked at each other for a moment.

"Okay. Last advice?" Uhura made herself sound nonchalant.

"Yes. You and Spock will be working together. Make sure you don't ally with anyone who will stab you in the back. Grab whatever you can at the Cornucopia but then get out. Find Spock and water. Stick together. Don't go anywhere alone. That's mostly how people get hurt," Kirk finished.

"Anything else?"

Doctor McCoy cleared his throat as it had tightened up, "No. Good luck Nyota." She nodded.

"Hope to see you again. Tutaonana." And with that, Uhura left. Spock, dressed in the arena clothes, waited with Makaria outside.

"Live long and prosper Lieutenant," he said solemnly.

"And to you Spock."

0o0o

Jove ripped open the brown cardboard box tied with cream string to reveal Uhura's clothes in the arena. The first item Jove pulled out was a short-sleeved maroon tunic. Also in the box were fairly sturdy gray capri pants, white underclothes, and black, calf-high, running boots.

"Good. Good shoes. Those are important. Often they make sure those are included but not always. One year they threw in the tributes without any shoes! These clothes seem to be made for warm and sunny or hot weather but that hardly gives any clue as to the terrain. Overall, it seems to be a pretty good outfit. These things won't fall apart on you easily," Jove analyzed, "It's a good thing you have short hair; long hair can sometimes get in the way and they haven't included a holder."

Uhura dressed quickly.

"When the call comes I'll point you to the launch plate. Does everything fit?" Uhura's answer was interrupted by a happy female voice.

"It is time to report for launch. Please have your arena clothes on. No regular clothes allowed. Thank you and may the odds be ever in your favor," the recording said in an adult-talking-to-baby voice.

Jove showed Uhura to a metal disk in the corner of the Launch Room.

"Good luck. A word of advice, find food right after you find water. There's a reason this is called the Hunger Games, not the Killing Games," Jove said. There was nothing Uhura could do but nod sharply. She was afraid that if she opened her mouth, she might scream. Or worse, not be able to do anything.

"Ready?" the same female voice said, "Launching in ten… nine…"

"Oh! One last thing. Uhura, always look behind you," Jove said, his eyes serious.

Uhura nodded again.

"Thank you," she managed to get out. Jove pressed his three middle fingers on his left hand and reached them out to the lieutenant. A glass tube descended from the ceiling and the disk rose, taking Uhura up to the Hunger Games. Dazzling sunlight glinted off the Cornucopia. After adjusting to going up in the dark shaft, Uhura could barely see. All she could tell was that the air was warm around her and the sun beat down. Hard. Claudius Templesmith cleared his throat on the speaker, causing it to whine.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the 124th Hunger Games… begin!"


	12. Allies

**Hello all. Spock and Uhura are in the arena! So exciting! Well, for me it was. I hope it is for you as well. I also hope everyone on break had a wonderful one. Thank you so much to my constant reviewers and for anyone reading this, I'd love it if you reviewed, even if you don't think you have much to say. It truly means a lot. –SpockSnapeStephen, 01/01/12 (It's so exciting to have a 12 at the end!)**

Spock's eyes focused quickly. The air was cool with a little bit of bite to it, the clear sun providing little warmth. A slight breeze ruffled his hair and a gold leaf fluttered past his face. To his right was the girl from District Twelve. She was shivering somewhat hard as snow fell around her. None touched Spock though he was standing about fifteen feet away, but the more pressing problem was that he couldn't find Uhura. She was concealed by the large, golden Cornucopia in the middle of the circle, overflowing with weapons, food, and a multitude of items. Spock noticed the most useful objects were nearest the Cornucopia's mouth.

The gong rang and Spock calmly walked through fighting tributes. Spock was given a wide berth. He picked up a medium sized green backpack that, to any human child, would have been somewhat heavy. Out of the corner of his eye, Spock saw Peridot sneaking up on a tall, African girl in combat with Sage Bakos, the District Six tribute. The beginnings of a warning came from Spock but it was too late for the fifteen year old girl. Peridot unleashed his silver knife on Sage, who barely had a chance to raise his unarmed hand before he, too, fell. Peridot's head turned as if he could feel Spock's gaze. Level brown eyes met elated amber ones. All this had happened in only a few seconds but Spock was aware of time slipping away. It was imperative to find a weapon and Uhura. Spock picked up the pace, bending to grab a spear from the ground. An arrow whistled over his head, killing the petit Kavi from District Three. Kailani Fisher advanced on Spock.

"I do not wish to harm you," he said slowly.

She replied, her face uncertain, "Your friend is over there. I don't want to see you again."

Spock gave her a little bow and walked quickly around the Cornucopia to see Uhura locked with Io. Uhura threw the girl to the ground and scooped up a slightly smaller backpack and a pouch of black stones before sprinting after Spock. They ran for awhile until Spock determined they were far enough away from the Cornucopia that they could walk. They didn't talk, just traveled through the red-orange forest.

Shots rang out and Uhura jumped slightly.

"It's just the casualty gong," Spock murmured.

"Only five dead?"  
>"Apparently." Uhura frowned.<p>

"In some Games, nearly half the tributes are killed at the Cornucopia," she pointed out.

"This, Lieutenant, is not one of them."  
>"Apparently," Uhura mimicked.<p>

Night began to fall quickly and the wind grew sharper. Spock felt the need to shiver a bit and resisted. He preferred much warmer temperatures than this, but no matter. Uhura, being human, was more susceptible to being cold and was therefore the higher priority.

"Perhaps we should stop for the day. It is twilight," suggested Spock. He saw Uhura's face smooth out and realized she wasn't going to say anything until he did. Spock made note of that for future occasions.

"We don't have many camping options. The trees, a cave, or the open ground. I don't know about you, but I've never slept in a tree," Uhura pointed out.

"The open ground is not the best option. We passed a cave approximately 1.3 miles back. It will not take us long to reach it," said Spock.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Spock began to answer but Uhura cut him off.  
>"Rhetorical question Spock, rhetorical question."<p>

0o0o

The Panem national anthem played and the Capitol seal flashed briefly. The first person to appear was Kavi Mai, District Three. Her bright blue eyes stared out into infinity, now unseeing, her black hair hanging about her face in corkscrews.

Another face with hazel eyes showed Sage Bakos, District Six, as the next tribute to officially die. Cedar Weist's bronze hair also flashed; no surprise there.

The stocky Kenya Wilder also appeared. She was the girl Peridot had killed.

The last child to materialize was from District Twelve. Nuria Harad, the blue-eyed, blond-haired merchant girl, had also died.

_Not died,_ Spock though, _killed._ He knew the difference. With the last rays of sunlight, the two examined their packs.

Overall they had two sets of winter clothing, full water bottles, several packages of dried food, a bowl, a sleeping bag, a collapsible pole, and the pouch of black stones Uhura picked up.

The pouch was made of dark purple velvet and was bulging with smooth, shiny, misshapen, black objects. Uhura took one out and held it up to the dying light.

"What are these?" she asked.

"They are caustic stones," said an unfamiliar voice from just beyond Spock's sight. Spock and Uhura grabbed for their weapons as an olive face framed in chocolaty curls peeked out from behind the tree.

"Miriam," Uhura whispered, "Come out. I won't hurt you unless you attack us."

A pair of pale eyes turned to Spock.

"Will he?"

Uhura had to suppress a smile as she replied, "No. He won't either."  
>"I'm very fast you know," Miriam said as she hesitantly sat down across from them, "You won't be able to catch me."<br>"We aren't planning on chasing you anywhere Miriam," Spock informed her, "What did you say these were called?" He offered some of the rocks to the girl. She took them with a trembling hand.

"My district calls them caustic stones. They were invented for the Bellona Rebellion. They act like stones you'd put in a sling but they explode with strong acid on impact. I picked up a sling. It's here somewhere…" Miriam rifled quickly through her backpack, though it was so small it hardly deserved to be called a backpack. Eventually she brought out a tan sling made of leather. The light had left completely and the night was black and cold so the sling appeared darker than it was.

"Can you use it?" asked Uhura. Miriam nodded.

"Yes," she paused, "I know I don't have much but, well, it'd be awfully nice if, you know, we could be allies. It wouldn't have to be for long, just until the number of tributes dwindles. And the way I figure it, it'll be handy to have someone along who's seen some Games."  
>Spock knew Uhura was going to reply quickly so he didn't even try.<p>

"We would be happy to have you," Uhura said warmly.

**So, Spock and Uhura are making allies. No surprise, right? Not many tributes have long lasting alliances so we'll see if it works out or not. Well, you'll have to see. I already know. Please review. Thanks!**


	13. Sneak Attack

**Hello readers. I sincerely apologize for the two week break between chapters. I have had computer, health, and school issues but now I have a new computer, I am recovering, and the stress of midterms is over. So I'm back. Hopefully you think that's a good thing. Again, I am truly sorry and I hope nothing like that will happen again. -SpockSnapeStephen, 01/23/12**

Doctor McCoy sat in a cool blue room filled with gadgets and screens. Two were focused on a darkened cave; one for Uhura, one for Spock. Another had the overall spread of the arena. With a touch of the screen, McCoy could see red dots with black district numbers marking all the tributes. At the bottom were two rows of tributes' face, with five crossed out. Also on the map were the triggers of traps, symbolized with a flame, a droplet, a plant, or a breeze depending on which element they took after.

A fourth screen showed what the people were seeing. Right now it was following the Careers. As usual, they were hunting other tributes.

In front of McCoy sat an electronic tablet where he could make notes and write down sponsor information. Several telephones were attached to the wall, easily accessible. Everything was easily accessible. It made McCoy grumpy. While his friends (yes, deep down he thought of Spock as a friend) were out in the wilderness trying to stay alive, he was sitting in this pretty, clean room. It didn't just make him grumpy, it made him sick.

McCoy picked up his white tablet and called Kirk's.

"Hello? Bones?" McCoy held the tablet close to his mouth.

"I need a break Jim," McCoy said loudly.

"No need to yell. I'll be right down," came the voice of Jim Kirk. A few minutes later he was there in the flesh.

"You okay Bones?" asked the captain. Doctor McCoy nodded.

"I just need some fresh air. Well, as much fresh air as we ever get."

Doctor McCoy entered the warm "living room" of the Games Headquarters. A red strip half of the wall's height ran along the bottom of the wall. The other was light orange and the colors were separated by a thick white stripe. Victors sat around an oak table like the knights of Camelot.  
>Enobaria, Aloysius, and some others were playing a form of cards. A tap on McCoy's shoulder sent him spinning around. Two people who were nearly opposites met him.<p>

The woman was fairly tall with short, silvery hair and dark brown eyes. The boy was shorter than McCoy. His eyes were covered by shaggy black hair.

The lady spoke first, "I'm Valentine. This is my partner Balint. We're the victors from District Five. You won't be seeing much of Balint since Miriam is my tribute but you and your captain will be seeing a lot of me now that our tributes have joined up."

Valentine took a pause and McCoy jumped in.

"Pleased to meet you. It does seem as though we'll be seeing a lot of each other, doesn't it? It will be nice to work together. Have you met Jim?"  
>"Yes," said Valentine, Balint having drifted away, "While he was in here earlier. He's a nice man."<p>

McCoy nodded, "Jim'll try to do right by you, even if you don't deserve it. Especially if you don't deserve it."  
>They stood quietly for a moment before Valentine broke the silence.<p>

"Well, I'm looking forward to working together for whatever amount of time, no matter how short it may be."

McCoy smiled, his eyes far away, and Valentine left him to his thoughts.

0o0o

A beeping noise alerted Kirk to the fact that two of the red dots on screen three were approaching his tributes.

"McCoy? We've got a problem. Something's happening," Kirk phoned through the thin tablet.

Within seconds, McCoy was beside Kirk. The captain just pointed. The red dots with the numbers 12 and 6 were nearly on top of the dots E, E, and 5. Any minute now, Spock, Miriam, and Uhura would be attacked.


	14. Quiet, Too Quiet

**Be warned that the ending may be too graphic for some readers. Someone does die violently (How else would they die? This is the Hunger Games.) at the end. I don't know all of your tolerances for violence. One thing that's horrifying for one person may be everyday for another and, if I've completely screwed up, may be laughable for many of you. I just wanted to give you the heads up. Thanks for reading! -SpockSnapeStephen; 01/29/12**

Spock walked from the mouth of the cave to the girl who had recently joined their group. Despite the fact that it was illogical, Miriam and Uhura had insisted on sharing equal amounts of the watch. It was illogical because Spock could go for just as long as they could with much less rest. But he had been outvoted and, though Spock reminded them this was not a democracy, Spock eventually gave in. As a result, there was no watch as Rosemarie and Aidan came upon the cave.

0o0o

Miriam woke to Spock looming over her.

"'S it my watch?" she mumbled.

"Yes, though it is illogical. If you wish, I will take your shift," offered Spock, but Miriam was already up with her sling and caustic stones in hand. Since Miriam was the only one who knew how to use them already, Uhura had given them to her.

Miriam sat down at the front of the cave, expecting an utterly boring watch. Dawn would soon break and even Careers had to sleep sometime. Even so, Miriam wanted to do her part.

_If I don't they might throw me out. And there would go my only shot at winning, _she thought sourly.

A movement in the bushes startled her. Miriam got to her feet quickly.

"Who's there?" she asked in a trembling voice. She ought to go get Ms. Uhura or Mr. Spock but what if it was just a rabbit? How silly would she look then? Little did Miriam know that both Doctor McCoy and Captain Kirk, miles away, were silently begging her to.

Miriam saw a flash of red hair and decided that was that. Better embarrassed than dead.

"Mr. Spock? Ms. Uhura?" she said in a carrying whisper. By now Miriam was sure that someone, or something, was out there.

The two adults were by her side quickly.

"What is it?" asked Uhura quietly.

"I saw something. Red hair, I think." Uhura looked at Spock and they both nodded. The pair drew their weapons and advanced towards the spot Miriam had pointed out, leaving the girl unprotected.

A moment later, Miriam was grabbed with rough hands, one over her mouth. The rustling sound of the bushes alerted Spock and Uhura but when they turned around, no one was there.

"Miriam?" called Spock.

"D-don't. Don't come any closer!" came a small, frightened voice.

"We're not going to hurt you," Uhura replied, "We just want our ally back."  
>The two Enterprise crewmembers heard mutters and whispers from behind the shrub.<p>

"Allies? Maybe we-"

"Aidan..."

"No, come on..."

"Shh!"  
>"Fine."<p>

Uhura rocked back on her foot impatiently. A scuffle, and a black-haired, grey-eyed boy came out holding a tiny knife and Miriam. A pudgy redhead with green eyes accompanied him.

"We'll let her go, if you let us join you," the boy said uncertainly, looking at the girl for support. She nodded.

"The more the merrier," Uhura replied.

0o0o

Back in bed, Miriam was cursing herself. A chain was only as strong as its weakest link and she was it. She had let herself get captured! If it weren't for her two allies, she'd probably be dead; the boy, Aidan, wouldn't have killed her but Rosemarie might have. They'd been arguing in the bushes. Rosemarie had been all for running away but Aidan convinced her to make allies. How the two ended up together, Miriam had no idea. Aidan was quiet and prefered calm while Rosemarie liked to talk loudly. It's not like they were from the same district or anything either. Joining up had probably been Rose's idea. Miriam had a feeling that the boy from District Twelve would have been just fine alone.

0o0o

Uhura watched Miriam and Rose talk together as they practiced shooting with the sling. Though they wouldn't have if the circumstances hadn't been so strange, the two were becoming friends. Aidan, on the other hand, was quiet and didn't speak much to Uhura, despite her best attempts, and never to Spock. The boy only spoke to the two girls. Spock had voiced doubts about making Rose and Aidan their allies but Uhura didn't think the pair would turn on the rest of the group. Rose and Miriam were friends and Aidan... Shy? Very. But a backstabber? Unlikely.

A wind picked up and scattered beautiful, fiery leaves across the forest floor. It didn't really seem like the Hunger Games at all. Nothing much had happened. One more boy died. One more family began to mourn. Based on the others' accounts, Spock had conjectured that the arena was divided into four sections, one for each season. No one else had come by the cave; Aidan had last seen the Careers heading towards the spring section of the arena. The five allies had settled into a fairly unstressful routine.

Someone should have figured the Gamemakers were getting bored.

0o0o

Rose and Miriam came out of the trees, laughing, with two full waterbottles. The air was moist and the colorful trees were dazzling. If Uhura let herself, it was easy to pretend she wasn't in the Games.

"I can fill you your waterbottle for you, Ms. Uhura, if you like." That was Rose, her hand already reaching for Uhura's waterbottle. Uhura had an idea that most of the kids in the Hunger Games were kind or would have been if fate were not so cruel.

"Thanks Rose."  
>A minute later, a girl's scream came from the direction of the stream. Uhura sprinted there, pausing only to grab Rose's forgotten knife.<p>

A horrible sight waited for the group at the river. Tornado-beings full of dirt and twigs and leaves were stripping away the thing that used to be Rose. A piece of skin hit a nearby tree with a sickening noise, spraying droplets of blood. Something long, slimy, grey, and tubular was whisked away into the roiling river. The whirlwinds now had a distinctly red color, almost like Rose's hair. A black stone cut through the things, shooting acid as soon as it hit a tree. Uhura looked behind her to see a shaking, pale Miriam standing resolute in her attempt to save the girl, though it was no use. There was nothing left to save.

The acid only drove them away, back into nothing. Deathly quiet filled the clearing around the river. A thud sounded as Aidan hit the ground in a faint, breaking the silence. Uhura ran for a cluster of trees and threw up. It wasn't so easy to pretend she was somewhere else. Not anymore.


	15. Athena Williams

The day after Rose died Miriam did nothing. It was shocking. She'd never seen anyone die so violently. She hadn't seen many people die period. One minute they were laughing, joking. The next Rose was gone.

0o0o

We moved camp. Miriam walked along silently and heard Uhura whisper to Spock about her but he convinced Uhura to give Miriam space. She didn't care.

0o0o

They sent Miriam to fish with Aidan. They had stayed by the river but moved away from Rose's grave. Uhura, Aidan, Miriam, and Spock had buried what was left of Rosemary in a small hole. Spock hadn't wanted to spend too long; he thought that the screaming would attract the Careers. The Vulcan was right, of course.

"Hey, Miriam, I know some people who've died so I kind of know what you're dealing with. So if you ever want to talk..." Aidan trailed off.

A moment passed before Miriam replied, "Thanks. But no thanks. I'm fine."  
>"Right."<br>"Hey," she said defensively, " Leave me alone. I just saw my friend die." Aidan looked at Miriam with his ashy eyes.

"I did too. Don't forget we all did." With those simple words, Aidan cast a net of guilt over her. It was true; she'd been only thinking of myself. Miriam's cheeks burned when she thought back on how she'd been acting. Aidan caught on to how bad he'd made her feel.

"Hey, now. Don't feel horrible. We all get it. Besides, I fainted and Uhura threw up. You actually did something," he said. Miriam shot a look at him.

"Are you feeling... responsible?" she asked. Aidan shrugged.

"A little. I mean, none of us even tried to help her, except you. Do you think it would have helped? You know, if we'd attacked them?" he questioned.

"No," Miriam said firmly, "The only thing that would have happened differently was that they would have killed more of us. There was nothing we could have done." Saying that made her feel better. There really was nothing she, or anyone else, could do now. It was the Hunger Games and only one was going to make it out. The victor was probably going to be Spock or Uhura anyways.

A tug on Miriam's makeshift fishing pole caught her attention. She yanked it but the line wouldn't come out of the water. Miriam had never fished before.

"Aidan, help!" she said, struggling.

"Um. Well, I think that- Oh dear." Miriam started to tip in the river but Aidan grabbed her waist and kept her ashore. She fell back against him and they tumbled off the rocks.

"Everything okay over there?" Uhura had come to see if Miriam and Aidan were alright.

"Yup! We're all good! Just some, ah, fishing problems," Miriam called, brushing myself off. Our only fishing pole was floating down the river though and neither Aidan nor Miriam were District Four tributes.

"I suppose neither of you can swim," Spock had appeared from nowhere, startling the two teens. Aidan mutely nodded. Spock dove into the water with fluid grace. Aidan and Miriam watched him, astonished, as he cut through the water effortlessly.

"Yeah, you think you get him figured out and then... he does something like that," Uhura said, shaking her head and smiling.

"I didn't know you could swim," the woman said. Spock shook his head, spraying her with water.

"Despite the lack of water on Vulcan, it seemed a necessary skill. Therefore, I learned to swim," replied Spock. The two adults walked away together, leaving the two teens.

"Do you see what I see?" Aidan whispered. Miriam giggled.

"Can crewmembers get married?" she asked. Aidan gave an exaggerated shrug and the two began laughing.

"At the end of the Games, I think we'll see," Aidan said. They immediately stopped laughing. It was entirely possible that neither of them would see the end of the Games.

0o0o

"Spock?" Spock looked up, distracted from his thoughts. He had overheard Aidan and Miriam talking about his relationship with Uhura. Apparently no one had told them that Vulcans have better hearing than humans. Spock had been trying to see if his actions with Lieutenant Uhura could be interpreted as more than friendly. He supposed it was possible.

"Aidan says he saw someone down by the river." It was Miriam. Uhura looked up from fashioning another hook out of a bone from a fish she had caught earlier and the party went in search.

0o0o

A tall girl with dark blond hair was wading in the river, grabbing at the little flashes of fish that flitted by. She held one up in triumph and put it in a roughly-made, woven basket. That's when Miriam ducked out from behind the rock.

"Miriam!" Aidan whisper-called. She just waved and jogged out to the river. The newcomer started to run.

"Wait! Athena!" The girl stopped when she realized Miriam wasn't giving chase. Her eyes were darting nervously around her, expecting an ambush.

"Would you like to join us?" offered Miriam.

"I don't need you or anyone," replied Athena.

"Maybe we need you," suggested Miriam.

"I can fight. My mom taught me," Athena looked at the surroundings, "Who are you allied with?" Miriam motioned for Aidan, Uhura, and Spock to come out. Athena's eyes widened and Spock could tell she was reconsidering. Her answer was obvious.

"I think you will need me. It doesn't look like there's a fighter among you," Athena said haughtily. Spock smirked inside. She had no idea who she was dealing with. Uhura could kick some serious butt when she wanted to. Fortunately, Uhura was the type to let the dig slide.

0o0o

Athena turned out to be a great addition. Not only was she a good fighter, but she was strong and could catch fish very well. The only problem was that she kept pressing the idea that their group should do a preemptive strike against the Careers.

"If we want to make it out, we have to show the Careers that they shouldn't mess with us. We have a group big enough to take them. The only times people from other districts win is when the tributes from One, Two, and Four are taken out!" Athena argued.

"We understand your point, Athena, and you have reminded us over and over that the only way to win the Games is through fighting but no one in this group wants to fight, except you. It would be illogical to fight the Careers when we are so ill prepared. We have few weapons and no way to treat the wounded," Spock replied calmly.

"Do you think anyone wounded is going to make it out alive? We kill the wounded. That way they won't suffer when other tributes find them!" said Athena passionately. Uhura, Miriam, and Aidan sat, watching the debate. They had all given their opinions before, even Aidan, but the only one Athena listened to was Spock.

"We will not fight unless we have to. That is our final decision." Spock looked at the others for affirmation. Uhura nodded. The group was making the right choice. _Kill the wounded,_ Uhura thought, _Athena is as ruthless as Spock would be without the rest of us. _Despite his peaceful philosophy, Uhura was sure that the first officer would be as cold as necessary to get back to the Enterprise. Speaking of which, only one of them could.

"Fine," Athena snapped and walked off in some direction.

Aidan spoke softly, "Perhaps it would have better if you had never invited her."

"Me? Don't blame me," Miriam said angrily.  
>Uhura broke up the fight before it started, "There is no use in fighting. What's done is done." There had been more tension between the members since Athena had come. She was a fighter with no use for peace.<p>

"District Thirteen, when it rebelled, was a militaristic district. They have not changed much," commented Spock.

Soon came time to sleep. Athena had been strangely quiet, eating dinner without a single word. When Spock had asked her how she was feeling, she had replied curtly.

"Fine, just fine," she said.

It was Aidan's turn for the sleeping bag. Uhura curled up on the cold ground. They had moved camp once more and they were nearing the winter section of the arena. Athena lay beside Uhura, staring up at the sky. Uhura opened her mouth to say something but then rolled over. There would be time enough in the morning.

0o0o

"Miss Uhura! Miss Uhura, Athena's missing." Aidan's anxious eyes peered into Uhura's sleepy brown ones.

"What? Aidan, what are you talking about?" she questioned. Miriam's face slid into view.

"It's true," Miriams said, pale-faced, "Athena's gone."


	16. I'll Be Back

Okay, I'm back…. and feeling really guilty. Um, yeah. I don't have an update right now but I wanted to just give a heads up that they will be continuing soon. Thank you to the people who have reviewed and recently followed my story (if that's what you call it). You've gotten me back on the horse. Also, thank you to the Hunger Games movie. So… I'll be back and you can be sure the Terminator is coming with me.


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